Fly east from Santa Elena de Uairén and as the jungle gives way to pits cut into the earth, tin-roofed camps along brown rivers, and thin scars of dirt where airplanes land at remote unregulated locations. Venezuelan and international reporting over the last decade documents the spread of illegal mining and clandestine airstrips across the Arco Minero, including inside Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Military operations have publicly acknowledged “illegal tracks” in the park, while NGOs and satellite imagery show new pits and airfields radiating toward Brazil and Guyana.